Sunday, October 5, 2008

Don't Make Life Hard. Get A Free Credit Report. Here's Why.

By David T. Johnson

Today's world requires that you have good credit for several reasons including, but not limited to getting insurance, getting loans and believe it or not you need good credit most of the time if you want to land a good job! The reason so many decisions are based on your credit score is they want to see how trust worthy you have been in handling financial decisions in your past because this gauges what you are most likely going to do in the future. It boils down to this. If you have a good credit report you are likely to be considered a low risk for giving a loan to you and also for giving a job to you.

The usual manner for when you are applying for a job, or a line of credit, or possibly a loan, would be for the organization that you are applying to will have you complete a form that authorizes them to do the credit check. They will use the information you provide to run your credit and obtain your credit history. Once your credit history is obtained they then use this information as well as their own proprietary processes to make the decision to give you the job, line or credit or the loan. This is typically a very quick process to get the credit information needed, but it does not mean the organization will render a decision quickly.

Common sense tells you that you should do your homework before you allow somebody to see your credit report. In other words, you want to 'pull your own credit' before somebody else does so you will not have any unpleasant surprises waiting for you that you can not explain. This is vital for loans as well as if you are trying to land a job. No loan providers or job interviewers want to be surprised by what they find on your credit history so honesty and preparation will be your best bet to overcome any dings on your credit history.

One reason that you may want to try getting a free credit report is to know if you are becoming a victim of identity theft. You have to remember that identity theft is becoming one of the most serious crimes today which is continuing to grow. Identity theft is where someone will use your identity for committing fraud and in most cases, credit card fraud. By constantly checking your credit score, you will be able to know whether you have been a victim of identity theft or not by checking the records.

Another reason is that sometimes, some credit bureaus tend to make a mistake with the report. This can be quite bad for your record as they may put in some purchases that you didn't actually make. By checking and comparing the different credit reports, you will be able to know whether there are any irregularities in the report. If you find something odd in your credit report, you can challenge it and get your credit score repaired.

Good news is there are really only the big three credit reporting agencies that you will need to request your free credit report from. The bad news is there are only the big three. Since there is only the big 3 credit agencies they basically have a monopoly on your credit score so you better play by their rules. The 3 are Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union. As mentioned before you can get your report Free on an annual basis.

It is clear that you really do not have much of a choice about getting a free credit report at bare minimum on an annual basis. And there is a strong arguement that you really should be utilizing a monitoring service to help protect against the con artist known a ID thieves. ID theft continues to grow at an alarming rate and these con artist have actually turned their craft into a science which means you are at an even greater risk if you do not watch for irregularities in your credit report.

There is really no way to spell out all of several number of benefits to getting a free online instant credit report. It is not an overstatement to say that your finacial future depends very heavily on your credit rating. Since that is the case you really should do all you can do to make sure you get, keep, and monitor the highest and best credit score you possibly can.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to obtain your credit report and also make sure that you have a good credit score or rating before you actually apply for a loan or a credit card.

How much is enough you ask? The answer is there is no such thing as enough precautions when it comes to protecting your credit score. Paranoia is good when it comes to watching your credit history because your credit score is basically your financial axis that your financial world spins around. Besides, you can get the credit report absolutely free. That makes this a no brainer.

True learning is defined by acting on what has been discovered. Knowledge without action is the equivalent of ignorance. I hope you take accurate actions to protect your financial future and get your free credit report as well as get a system to watch over your credit score today.

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